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To his Excellency William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America - The city of Baku August 19, 1997

Dear Mr. President!

I thank you of all my heart for the hospitality, sincerity and attention shown to me during my official visit to the United States. I was greatly impressed by meeting with you personally, by the meetings and talks with the statesmen of your country, the speaker of the Congress, senators and congressmen and the American public.

I am completely pleased with the results of my official visit to the United States. I share fully your views concerning the American-Azerbaijani relationship, the foreign and home policy of Azerbaijan, the democratic processes in our country, their consistent and irreversible nature. These thoughts have found their expression in our joint statement on the American-Azerbaijani relations. This document is an important stage in the relations of our states and is of historical significance. The agreements achieved in the White House, in the Department of Defense, the signed documents and agreements have risen our relationship to a new level from the point of view of quality. It will help to further deepen the American-Azerbaijani relationship all around. I confirm it once more that the Republic of Azerbaijan attaches a special importance to strengthening of our friendly relationship and partnership, and will do its best for their irreversible development and deepening.

I express special thanks on behalf of the Azerbaijan people and myself for supporting the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and democratic developments in Azerbaijan. I thank you for a peaceful and fair solution of the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict on the principles adopted in the Lisbon summit of the OSCE, and for your efforts to repeal Section 907 of the "Freedom Support Act". I hope these efforts will bear fruit this very year.

On our own part, we shall do our best to achieve the peace very soon. I have told you that we were ready to give our consent for the solution of the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict in two stages. The first is to liberate the six occupied districts of Azerbaijan, return of refugees to their homes, restoration of the destroyed communications. The second is to solve the issue of the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh in connection with the liberation of Shusha and Lachin.

I fully share your opinion that this conflict is a serious obstacle on the road of development for a region that possesses a huge potential. Peace, stability and cooperation among the nations of the region - Azerbaijanis, Armenians, and Georgians - are the main factors of progress. Therefore, the regional conflicts should be solved by joint efforts of the co-chairpersons of the Minsk Group of the OSCE who are representatives of the U.S., France and Russia.

Dear Mr. President, I thank you again for your personal attention and excellent organization of my visit. I wish you, your family, all the people of the United States peace, happiness and progress.

Sincerely yours,

Heydar Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The document was taken from the edition "Together towards the New Century"